Research

Creative degrees can deliver skills and employment

Ravensbourne University London, Film and TV department. There are two people setting up a camera in a workshop.

18 Apr 2023

In Culture Minister Lucy Frazer's first address to the sector, she highlighted the skills gap facing the creative industries. So how can industry and education come together to address this? Andy Cook of Ravensbourne University has some thoughts.

Children and young people

Research highlights gender disparities in dance sector

Two women dancing

04 Apr 2023

Study finds dance companies in receipt of most funding - and exerting greater influence on the sector - are more likely to be led by men, despite higher overall levels of female leadership.

Visa system needs urgent reform to ensure global standing of UK's creative industries

UK border control at Heathrow airport

04 Apr 2023

Without urgent reform there is a danger our creative industries – once the envy of the world – won’t be able to access the talent needed to thrive at a time when the sector should be booming, says Eliza Easton.

Human resources

Major study to explore impact of online arts on mental health

Young woman looking at images in a gallery

03 Apr 2023

Researchers from Oxford University will help young people create an online museum to support the mental health of diverse and underrepresented groups.

Museums and heritage

Children and young people

Health and wellbeing

Audience figures highlight ongoing recovery from pandemic

30 Mar 2023

Latest data from The Audience Agency (TAA) suggests a “long shadow” from the Covid pandemic is still affecting the sector.

The charity published its findings from its Cultural Participation Monitor on Tuesday (28 March), which found that more than a quarter of the population are attending arts and culture less than before the pandemic.

More than a third (37%) said they were attending less, compared with 12% who said they were attending more. These results were largely in line with those from a year ago, when 31% said they were attending less, compared with 12% more.

TAA says the pandemic has “receded as a perceived risk,” but added that it “remains a key factor for between a fifth and a quarter of people across a range of measures”.

Those attending cultural destinations less appear most influenced by the cost-of-living crisis, with 56% stating that their reduced attendance was because of money.

Elsewhere, TAA’s findings suggest that venues are reporting higher levels of late bookings – with 41% of audience members saying they tend to book last minute.

People are also planning to donate less, with 50% of those who currently donate to cultural organisations saying they plan to donate less across the next year.

TAA Chief Executive Anne Torreggiani says the new evidence confirms arts and cultural organisations are suffering a “double whammy” right now.

“Trying to navigate these complex reasons for income being down is very challenging for organisations,” she said.

“Developing a really deep understanding of your audience is going to make a big difference because what's working for a peer organisation in a different place with a different audience won’t necessarily work in your community.”

The arts in schools: Foundations for the future

Carlton Keighley students at The Hepworth Wakefield

30 Mar 2023

The 1982 publication ‘The Arts of Schools’ was hugely influential with local education authorities and arts professionals. Here Sally Bacon and Pauline Tambling share the findings from their new consultation, more than 40 years later.

Children and young people

Pilot to engage artist as salaried employee

Group photo of Artsadmin staff

22 Mar 2023

In a radical move, Artsadmin is offering a year-long contract for an artist to undertake place-based research. Patrick Jowett has been speaking to Artistic Director Róise Goan about how the initiative developed.

Supporting artists

Mountview launches Intimacy Practice degree

21 Mar 2023

The world’s first degree in Intimacy Practice will launch in September.

Intimacy on Set and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts have partnered with the University of East Anglia to offer the two-year course, led by intimacy practitioner Ita O’Brien.

The degree will prepare students to enter the industry as intimacy coordinators for film and visual media, including theatre and live performance.

O’Brien pioneered the role of intimacy practitioner and has worked with production companies and organisations including the BBC, Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV, Channel 4, HBO, Sky, ITV, the National Theatre and The Royal Opera House.

Her company, Intimacy on Set, is launching the new course in response to the growing industry demand for intimacy practitioners.

“I am delighted that we are today launching the world’s first training in Intimacy Practice at MFA level, and specifically with Mountview where I taught movement some years ago,” O’Brien said.

“Intimacy Practice is a young profession, and whilst awareness of its existence has grown considerably in the last few years, deep understanding of good practice is missing.”

To further develop the profession, “we need to be able to train talented individuals who can navigate the both physical and emotional journey that each actor will go on, and can responsibly and safely deliver the intimate content as envisioned by the director, the storytelling and each character,” she said.

She added that the goal of Intimacy on Set is to eventually ensure that bespoke guidelines are adopted by the industry worldwide.

“Our course will grow an expert network of practitioners, ensuring the provision of safe rehearsal and performance practices and encouraging further research in this area,” said Sally Ann Gritton, Principal of Mountview.

Life under Covid: Stay home stories

hand drawn image of a kitchen

15 Mar 2023

A new report on the personal experiences of artists working through the pandemic aims to understand the long-term impacts on the creative sector and make policy recommendations to support recovery. Eithne Nightingale shares the stories.

Supporting artists

AHRC announces new hosts for Creative PEC

King's Walk on Newcastle University's campus, looking towards the Arches with the Student Union building on the left

09 Mar 2023

Centre producing research and policy recommendations on arts, culture and the creative industries will be split across two hubs in England, one in the North and one in the South.

Northern Ireland

A wise women manifesto

Wise Woman exhibition in Leeds School of Arts. The photo depicts five frames hung from the ceiling, each with four portraits of female researchers looking at the camera

08 Mar 2023

To mark International Women’s Day, and in response to colleagues feeling 'frozen out' of academia, Lizzie Coombes, Gillian Dyson, Joanna Leah and Anne Schiffer have developed a project to empower women through creativity.

Co-leadership is key to diversity

Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, Co-CEO's of Birmingham Museums Trust.

08 Mar 2023

In the cultural sector, leaders too often fail to reflect the diversity of society - in ethnicity, gender and disability. So, cultural organisations are losing out on the full range of leadership talent, writes Claire Antrobus.

Changing fast and slow

A Black man is standing in a workspace room, laughing with four other people who are sat down. They all have laptops and there are water bottles, mugs, and bags on the desk in front of them.

08 Mar 2023

Research repeatedly highlights that the cultural sector has a capacity issue to address before it can fully realise the benefits of digital working, writes Ash Mann.

Human resources

Cultural policymakers declare £581k in additional earnings

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer sits at a desk, she is speaking and writing notes. UK and Ukrainian flags are in the foreground

06 Mar 2023

Declared additional income from 19 MPs engaged in cultural policy consists of additional earnings, donations and gifts, with the majority coming from outside the arts and culture sector.

Returning to work

Sarah Meadows standing in a theatre auditorium holding two children. The theatre is empty and red curtains are drawn on-stage, though there are four stage lights switched on. Sarah has her back to the camera. She is wearing a black and white striped t-shirt and has long brown hair.

01 Mar 2023

A new initiative to champion the needs of freelancers with caring responsibilities is being launched, specifically focusing on returning to work after parental or care leave. Sarah Meadows and Emily Williams outline why it’s so urgently needed.

Human resources

Rising interest in orchestral music driven by young people

Aerial view of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing to a full crowd

01 Mar 2023

Report from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra finds the younger generation is driving a rise in interest in orchestral music, with majority of school children interested in learning an instrument.

Children and young people

Why understanding the value of culture matters

28 Feb 2023

In the face of multiple crises, Matthew McCallum and Ben Walmsley argue that now is the time to make the case for culture as a public good.

Sector training opportunities ‘falling short’, says study

a Black woman with short black hair wearing a grey t-shirt takes a photo with an industrial camera. she is stood in front of a photographer's umbrella with a computer to her left

23 Feb 2023

New report says the sector must invest in its workforce if the UK is to remain a leader in the creative industries.

Human resources

Bullying bosses, broken boards and a crisis of accountability

The contour of an individual who appears to be a woman, standing in the darkness with a spotlight positioned behind her, creating a shadow that outlines her figure like a silhouette.

23 Feb 2023

Melissa Nisbett, Ben Walmsley and Emma McDowell have been conducting research on abusive leadership in the arts. Their findings will set alarm bells ringing across the sector.

The challenges of research collaboration

The performance piece 'Alice' presented by Jasmin Vardimon Company features a cluster of individuals positioned with their heads stacked on top of one another, tilting towards the right. The group is clad in black attire, except for the person positioned at the forefront, who wears a red outfit. Together, their bodies form a visual representation of a centipede.

22 Feb 2023

Rosy Greenlees and Suzie Leighton have been reflecting on the challenges of knowledge exchange between the arts and higher education sectors. Here they explore the mutual benefits of co-curated collaborations and what support leaders in the field require.

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